Contents
Title Page
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Google Books
Ensnare: The Passenger's Pleasure Box Set (Paranormal Romance)
MAC FLYNN
Text copyright 2016 by Mac Flynn
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission in writing from the author.
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CHAPTER 1
I'd never known such delicious desire, such ravenous, lustful wonder, until that book fell into my hands. And it literally fell into my hands.
But my story starts before that, at the office where I worked. It was one of those steel prisons where people live their entire lives in small, gray cubicles. Human interaction is a choice, pay increases a dream, and advancement a lie. I worked on the thirteenth floor, and everyone joked that people on that floor were especially cursed to boring lives. I was proof enough of that. Even my name was plain Jane. Jane Johnson. I toiled my days under a plain name in a plain office in my plain job and life. Never did I believe anything wondrous, anything wonderful could come to me, but somehow it did. Maybe it was fate, but I had a feeling something had its tendril in the matter.
I sat in my cubicle typing up a report on my computer with a stack of more paperwork beside me when a shadow fell over me. It belonged to the bully of the floor, Stimson. He was a burly guy with a sneer on his lips and a leer in his eyes. He leaned against the entrance to my cubicle and looked me over.
"So what's Plain Jane doing this weekend?" he asked me.
"Nothing. . ." I mumbled.
"What's that? I can't hear you over how lame you are," he sneered.
"I really need to get to work," I told him.
"No, what you really need to do is pick up your mess," he argued. He swiped his hand across my desk and knocked into the stack of papers.
"Hey!" I yelled as I tried to grab the pile, but missed. The pieces of paper flew in every direction and littered the floor with a carpet of mess.
"Now pick it up before I tell Mike," he growled.
Mike was the floor manager, and he demanded everyone's cubicles be as clean as a five-star restaurant kitchen. He was also more of a coward than me and let Stimson get away with everything but murder. Murder would have meant too much paperwork filed with L&I.
I slid down on my knees and tried to gather them as fast as I could, but Stimson was faster. He pressed his foot on the papers in front of him and smashed them with his shoe.
"Oops. Did I do that?" he laughed.
I gathered the paper against my chest and tried not to cry. "Why are you doing this to me?" I sobbed.
Stimson leaned down and grinned at me. "Because I can. What're you going to do about it?"
I cringed. "Just leave me along, okay?" I pleaded.
"Why should I?" he growled.
"Jane, letter for you!" came the shrill voice of Mike.
That was my ticket to freedom, in more than one way. I threw myself past Stimson and out my cubicle. Mike stood at his office down the hall, and I hurried to him with the papers still clutched against my chest. He frowned at the mess in my arms.
"What have I told you about keeping clutter out of your cubicle?" he scolded me.
"I-I know, sir, but I was just-" He stuck an envelope in my face.
"I don't care. Whatever it is deal with it, and this letter. You know company rules. No personal mail is to be sent to work," he reminded me.
I plucked the envelope from his hand and looked over the return address. "Fantasy Cruises?" I read aloud.
"It's one of those cruise liners that go around the world, but don't let me catch you sending spam to you office address again, got it?" Mike ordered me.
"Yeah, sure," I half-answered. The name on the address was definitely mine, but I couldn't remember ever contacting a cruise company.
I turned and stumbled back to my cubicle. Stimson was gone, but there was still the mess on the floor and in my arms. All that was forgotten, though, as I dropped the papers onto the floor and dropped into my chair. Something told me this envelope was important. I tore it open and read the contents aloud in a hushed whisper.
Dear Miss Johnson;
Congratulations on winning an all-expenses paid trip on our Caribbean Cruise! No purchase is necessary, and this offer is void nowhere! Merely contact our booking office at the number below to confirm your reservation. When arriving at the ship please present this announcement as your ticket. We hope see you soon under the warm Caribbean sun!
It was signed by the company's entertainment director. I thought it had to be a joke. There was no way I would've won any contest, especially one I didn't remember entering. I read and reread the letter, but it always said the same thing. I'd won, and all I needed to do was call the number.
I reached for my purse and the phone it contained. A hand reached out and snatched my winning ticket from me. I whipped my head up and looked into the grinning face of my constant antagonist, Stimson. He waved the ticket in front of me.
"What's this? Somebody get a traffic fine?" he teased.
I frowned and tried to grab it, but he lifted it out of my reach. "Give it back!" I demanded.
His eyes widened a fraction of an inch. "Is the little pussy cat growing some claws? What's this thing for, anyway?" He glanced over the contents and his smile widened. His eyes flickered to me. "Well, what do you know. It looks like the little pussy cat has won a prize for me."
"It's not yours!" I shot back.
He stepped back into the hall. "It is now."
I don't know what came over me. Maybe it was the years of his torture, or the chance of escaping the daily grind, or maybe I was just fed up with my miserable existence. Whatever it was it made me let loose a vengeful cry and jump my tormentor. I shoved him against the wall opposite the entrance to my prison. The air was knocked from his lungs, and in his weakness I grabbed the ticket and stepped back.
It was only a heavy push, but my chest moved up and down like I'd completed a triathlon. I'd never been a physical person, but this man, this monster had pushed my angelic patience to the limit and beyond. Now he stood there with a mixture of disbelief and fury on his face.
"Why you little-"
"What's going on here?" Mike yelled. He stormed down the hall and stopped between us. His eyes turned from me to Stimson and back again. "Well? What happened?"
Stimson pointed a finger at me. "She shoved me for no reason!"
I started back and my mouth dropped open. "You stole my ticket!"
"I've heard enough!" Mike shouted. He turned to me and frowned. "Jane, you knew company policies and yet had something mailed to you. Now it's started this fight that I'm going to have to report to HR."
"But I-"
"No buts. No nothing. Pack up your things and go home. You're suspended without pay until further notice," he told me.
"But-"
"Now!" he ordered me.
I tu
rned away, but not before I glimpsed the triumphant grin on Stimson's smile. The crowd around us grumbled among themselves, and Mike turned to them with a glare.
"Get back to work!" he barked. Everyone but Stimson scattered to their holes. Mike turned to my oppressor and glared at him. "You, too, Stimson."
Stimson bowed his head. "Of course, sir." He disappeared from the view of my cubicle.
Mike strode away down the opposite end of the hall. I stumbled over the mess of papers and fought back the tears in my eyes. This wasn't fair. I'd only fought for what was right, and here I was the only one punished. Stimson would get off with a stern reprimand and I would lose at least a week's worth of pay, not to mention the humiliation in front of so many of my peers.
"Enjoy your little show," a voice hissed. I turned to find Stimson at the entrance to my cubicle. His eyes were narrowed and shining. "When you get back I'm going to make sure you get what's coming to you."
I glared at him and flung my purse over my shoulder. "Maybe I'm not coming back," I told him.
He scoffed. "You're coming back. You don't have anywhere else to go."
"Maybe I'll find some other place to go," I returned.
He sneered at me. "You'll come back and then I'll give you what's coming to you." He slithered away.
I stepped outside and stalked down the hall past Mike's office.
"Jane?" Mike called through his open door. I paused and looked inside. He sat behind his large desk and had a tired smile on his face. Mike gestured to the seat in front of his desk. "Could we talk?"
I glanced over my shoulder at my cubicle, and past that at Stimson at the end. He grinned and nodded at me. I looked back to Mike.
"No, we can't, because I quit."
I turned my back on Mike, Stimson, and my entire life, and boy did it feel good.
CHAPTER 2
Good, that is, until the elevator doors closed behind me. I leaned my back against the rear wall and ran a hand through my hair.
"What was I thinking. . ." I murmured to myself. "You can't quit, Jane. You've got an apartment to pay for, food to buy, student loans to pay off."
The list went on and on, but that didn't change what I'd done. I'd effectively given my notice, and it was only two weeks until I was separated from my only source of income. To add insult to injury, the suspension meant I wouldn't be paid for at least half that time.
"Broke in two weeks. . ." I muttered. "Brilliant, Jane. What are you going to do now?"
My eyes flickered down to the open top of my purse. The white cruise ticket stuck out from the dark fabric. I picked it out and held it in front of my face. A smile slowly spread across my lips. This was my ticket to one last hurrah before I bid farewell to my dreams and financial stability. A whole week away from the drudgery of my existence. A whole week to be someone other than me.
"Why not?" I whispered.
I stuffed the ticket back into my purse and stood straight. If this was going to be the single most refreshing moment in my life then I was going to make the best of it. The cruise was in two weeks. The instructions were to call to confirm my reservations. I whipped out my phone and reread the number. My hand was sweaty and my fingers were clumsy, but the other end soon rang. I listened to the third ring and started to doubt my typing skills.
"Hello?" came a man's voice on the other end.
"Hello, is this-" I glanced at the director's name, "-Mr. Smith?"
The man laughed. "That depends on what the first name is."
"Is this Mr. Jay Smith of Fantasy Cruises?" I rephrased.
"Then you have the right man. What can I do for you?" he wondered.
"My name is Jane Johnson, and I-"
"Miss Johnson! We were hoping to hear from you soon!" Mr. Smith interrupted. "I knew no one could resist our wonderful package, and I'm glad to hear you've proven me right!"
"So this trip isn't free?" I asked him.
"Absolutely everything involved in the trip is free! You get a beautiful state room with a permanent seat at the captain's table!" he told me.
"So this really is true? I really did win a contest?" I persisted.
"Entered and won! And might I congratulate you on your wonderful stroke of luck? We had a half million people enter, but your name was chosen by our random computer generator!" he revealed to me.
"When did I enter?" I asked him.
"You don't remember?" he returned.
"I-um, I just can't quite remember," I told him.
"Well, let me see here." I heard a rustle of papers and a short tap of a keyboard. "It looks like you entered just before the deadline which was two days ago, and your name was chosen yesterday." There was a short pause. "That's very strange."
My heartbeat quickened. This was it. I'd asked too many questions and now he'd found an anomaly that would disqualify me. "What is?"
"Oh, it's nothing. Just a coincidence with one of our other passengers. Your name was placed in the pool the same time he took the suite beside yours," he told me.
"What's his name?" I wondered.
"I'm not at liberty to say, but I can say you'll have the time of your life aboard our wonderful cruise liner!" he replied. "There's a party every night, and you'll be among a very select group of people. Very fine and very elegant. I'm sure you'll enjoy them."
I studied the ticket. "I'm kind of far away from the port. How do I get there?"
He laughed. "Not a problem. We have that covered. We'll send you your airline ticket and get you here before the first whistle! And believe me when I tell you you'll have the time of your life!
Smith was a man of his word, even if his word was a little hard for me to follow. Six days later found me at the port with a small suitcase in hand. It held the food proper clothes I owned, along with a few odds and ends between parties. The cruise ship loomed in front of me, a behemoth of the oceans that could fit a small town aboard its dozens of levels. People crowded the peer to board and gawk at the majesty of the white fish that would take its passengers on a trip through paradise.
"Miss Jane Johnson?" a voice spoke up.
I turned to find a young man with a bright smile. He was about twenty with sandy-blond hair and blue eyes. His white suit had a name tag on the front with the same emblem that graced the front of the cruise liner.
"Yes?" I replied.
He bowed his head. "My name's Stuart, and I'm going to be your personal steward for the trip."
I blinked at him. "A personal steward?"
He nodded. "Yes. I'm here to I'll assist you in whatever way I can."
I smiled. "I'd be glad if you could show me my cabin."
"Fortunately you have a suite. It's much larger than a cabin and is on one of the top decks. I'll be glad to show you where it is," he offered.
I laughed. "If you don't I think I'll get lost."
He held out his hand and nodded at my suitcase. "But could I take your suitcase?"
I pressed it against the front of my legs. "I think I'll hold onto this."
"That's fine. Just follow me, Miss Johnson," he invited me.
"Jane," I corrected him.
"I'm supposed to-"
"Please call me Jane," I pleaded. "I'm sure there's dozens of Miss Johnson's aboard, but only one Plain Jane."
He smiled. "You're not plain, Miss-" I wagged my finger at him, "-Miss Jane."
I sighed. "There's been wars over that, but I don't even want an argument on this vacation."
Stuart led me up the long plank and onto the deck of the ship. "Is this your first time on a cruise?" he asked me.
"My first time on a vacation that wasn't a Sunday walk in the park," I told him.
"Then I hope this one will be memorable for you," he wished.
"Me, too," I replied.
I glanced over the pristine deck with its large swimming pool and dozens of lawn chairs. People crowded the railing and waved goodbye to loved ones they left behind. It must have been nice to be missed on a vacation.
"Miss Jane?"
Stuart interrupted my sad thoughts.
I shook myself and smiled at him. "Yes?"
"You're suite's this way." He indicated a stairwell that led into the belly of the ship.
Stuart led me down a long flight of stairs to the top floor of guest rooms. The white-hued hallway was twenty feet wide and each door on either side was spaced thirty feet other apart from the others. Decorative tables stood along the walls with bowls of sweets and fruits set on their tops.
"Each room is separated from the others by soundproof walls for maximum privacy," Stuart told me. "The food in the dishes is for you to take, and room service is free."
"So I can eat out of any of these bowls?" I asked him.
He glanced over his shoulder and showed off his amused smile. "Any of them," he confirmed.
I stopped at one of the bowls laden with chocolate and dipped my hand in for a quick taste of the luxury.
"You seem to have found my favorite bowl," a voice piped up.
I yelped and spun around. My hand knocked against the side of the bowl. The glass container spilled onto the wooden floor and shattered. I knelt down and hid my face as I tried to pick up the shattered glass among the colorful chocolates.
"I am so sorry. It was an-ouch!" I pulled my hand back and saw a bead of blood appear on the tip.
Someone knelt in front of me and grasped my wrist in a gentle but firm hold. I looked up and met the gaze of the most handsome man I'd ever met. He had crystal-blue eyes that matched his bright smile. His hair was cut short and slightly spiked at the top. He wore a casual white shirt and slacks, and his even tan told me he hit the tennis courts more than once a week.
Strange fantasies invaded my mind. I could just imagine him wrapping his arms around me in a tight embrace. Our lips would join together as his hands explored my body. I would groan and press myself against him. His warm body would feed the insatiable lust that grew inside me.
What the heck was I thinking? My cheeks blushed and I swiftly bowed my head.
"I-it's just a scratch," I protested as I tried to free my hand. "I'll be-"
"You'll be a good girl and let me look at it," he insisted. He tilted and turned my finger, and I almost regretted when he released me. "Nothing serious, but you might want to get a bandage on that."
Miss Jane, are you all right?" Stuart asked me. He stood at my side, and his eyes flickered between the other man and me. There was a hint of hesitation I hadn't seen before.